Faber

What Faber does

Faber is a French architecture and engineering agency headquartered in Châteaubourg, Brittany, founded in 2002 and structured as a partner-owned collective of four principals — Pierre-Yves Cavé (architect), Jérémy Painchaud (works director/OPC), Jordane Bardani (construction economist), and Laëtitia Morel (architect, HR). The firm specializes in bioclimatic and passive architecture, working extensively with biosourced construction materials including wood frame (ossature bois), straw insulation, hempcrete, rammed earth, and clay plasters. Its practice emphasizes high measured energy performance (passive certification with Cep Chauffage as low as 11.2 kWh/m².an, BEPOS E3C1 positive-energy outputs, RTEx renovations achieving -50% to -65% vs baseline), and it has accumulated a portfolio of more than 50 documented projects including heritage rehabilitations inside Monument Historiques protection zones.

The firm's customer base is almost entirely public sector: French municipalities, intercommunal structures (EPCI / communautés), regional councils (notably Région Bretagne and Conseil Départemental d'Ille-et-Vilaine), and public universities (Université Rennes 2, Centrale Nantes, IUT de Carquefou). Project typologies span primary and secondary schools, lycées dormitories, university libraries and research buildings, sports halls, multi-service civic buildings, cultural centres, and administrative headquarters. Faber operates exclusively through public architectural competitions and direct municipal commissions, with no consumer channel or reseller structure. Pricing is project-specific to public procurement and is not publicly disclosed.

Geographically, Faber is concentrated in the Bretagne and Pays de la Loire regions of western France, with notable projects in Rennes, Vannes, Vitré, Nantes, Angers, and Carquefou. The firm completed its own passive/bioclimatic headquarters in Châteaubourg in 2022 as a demonstration asset, and participates in multiple Breton sustainable-construction networks (Batylab, Fibois Bretagne, FB², Tiez Breiz, Frugalité, Collectif Terreux Armor). It has no external investors, no parent company, and no disclosed funding rounds.

Name

Faber

Legal name

faber

Website

https://faber.archi

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Faber is a partner-owned French architecture agency in Châteaubourg, Brittany, specializing in passive and bioclimatic buildings constructed with biosourced materials. It serves French public sector clients — municipalities, regional councils, and universities — across Brittany and Pays de la Loire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Châteaubourg

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Faber is an architecture agency providing architectural design and project management services for public and private clients, with deep specialization in passive, bioclimatic, and biosourced construction. The firm delivers sustainable building projects including educational facilities, administrative centers, sports halls, cultural venues, and heritage building rehabilitation, using wood, straw, hemp, and earth-based materials. Services span concept design, technical engineering, construction supervision, and multi-phase project delivery primarily for public sector clients in western France.

Product overview

Faber is an architecture firm based in Châteaubourg, France, offering architectural design services for public and private clients. The firm's portfolio includes a diverse range of building projects across Brittany and western France, with particular expertise in sustainable, bioclimatic, and biosourced construction. Their project types encompass educational facilities (schools, colleges, lycées, universities), sports and associative buildings, administrative centers, housing, and cultural facilities. The firm emphasizes the use of bio-sourced materials (wood, straw, hemp, earth), energy performance (passive, BEPOS, BBC), and environmental certifications in their projects.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Bioclimatic and Passive Building Architectural Design

Quantifiable outcome

• Passive buildings achieve Cep Chauffage as low as 11.2 kWh/m².an heating energy consumption
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BatylabcoreOthersPartner and member of Batylab, a sustainable building association in Brittany. Faber participates in Batylab-organized events including site visits and training sessions, demonstrating commitment to sustainable construction practices.
• Fédération Bretonne des Filières Biosourcées [FB]²coreOthersPartner and adherent of the Brittany Federation of Biosourced Materials Chains, supporting the development and adoption of biosourced construction materials in the region.
• Fibois BretagnecoreOthersPartner and member of Fibois Bretagne, the wood construction industry association in Brittany, supporting sustainable wood construction practices and materials.
• Tiez BreizcoreOthersPartner and member of Tiez Breiz, a Brittany-based network promoting traditional and sustainable building practices, particularly in heritage building rehabilitation.
• Enercoop BretagneminorOthersFaber sources electricity for its offices from Enercoop Bretagne, a renewable energy cooperative, demonstrating commitment to sustainable energy use in operations.
• Collectif Terreux ArmorminorOthersMember of the Terreux Armor collective in Brittany, promoting earth-based construction materials and techniques.
• FrugalitéminorOthersPartner and member of Frugalité organization, promoting frugal and resource-efficient construction approaches.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Atelier Roland Schweitzer: Paris-based architecture practice long recognized for ecological, bioclimatic, and energy-conscious design across public housing, schools, and civic facilities. Highly comparable to Faber in the biosourced/bioclimatic specialization and public-sector focus.
• Tectône: French architecture firm with a strong orientation toward sustainable and bioclimatic design for public-sector and heritage projects. Comparable to Faber in scale, regional footprint, and technical positioning around environmental performance.
• Agence Chartier-Corbasson: French architecture firm with a comparable portfolio of public buildings, schools, and cultural facilities. Overlaps with Faber in client base (municipalities, public institutions) and in delivering contemporary architecture rooted in regional context.
• Philippe Madec Architecture: French architecture practice recognized as a pioneer of ecological and bioclimatic architecture in France. Shares Faber's deep specialization in energy-positive, biosourced, and environmentally responsive design for public clients.
• Dominique Coulon et Associés: French architecture firm of comparable size based in Alsace, with a portfolio heavily weighted toward public cultural, educational, and community buildings. Closely matched to Faber in client type (municipalities, regions), project typology (schools, cultural centers), and emphasis on contextual, materially-driven design.

Broad incumbents

• Perkins&Will: Global architecture firm with a longstanding commitment to sustainable design and public-sector projects, particularly in education and healthcare. Comparable in sustainability positioning and public-client focus, though operating across many more geographies and segments.
• Foster + Partners: Global architecture firm with deep experience in sustainable, high-performance public and civic buildings. Represents an incumbent benchmark for what scaled-up bioclimatic expertise looks like in public architecture, contrasted against Faber's regional specialization.
• BIG (Bjarke Ingels Group): International architecture practice with a strong portfolio of public, educational, and civic buildings emphasizing sustainability and energy performance. Comparable in environmental-design ethos but vastly larger in scale and competitive in global public competitions.
• Studio Gang: International architecture practice known for sustainability-driven design across civic, educational, and cultural typologies. Comparable in commitment to environmental performance and public-sector work, but operating at materially larger scale and geographic reach.
• Snøhetta: Globally recognized architecture and design practice built around sustainability, contextual design, and public-realm projects. Provides a benchmark for how Faber's bioclimatic expertise could scale into larger public commissions, though at vastly different scale and geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/faber.architectes
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/louvel.agence-d'architecture/mycompany
• Instagraminstagram.com/faber.archi

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Faber